Maria Doyle Kennedy is slated to play her rescheduled Button Factory Dublin show this Saturday, February 12th at 8pm alongside fellow musician Kieran Kennedy.

Mermaid as a pairing are Maria Doyle Kennedy and Kieran Kennedy: partners in life, music and many, many crimes. The duo set up Mermaid Records in 2000 and have been releasing music independently ever since. Mermaid Productions was established in 2007 as the pair's collaborations grew to include soundtrack composition, documentary, and short films.

You likely recognise Maria Doyle Kennedy from her key roles on television programmes like Outlander, sci-fi thriller Orphan Black or even The Commitments. The Dubliner is also a hugely talented musician, with numerous albums under her belt. The multi-talented creative returned in 2021 with a new album, and a single release every month. Lockdown was prolific for some, it seems.

Maria released the Kieran-produced single 'Cyane' back in mid-2020, with the singer saying at the time:

"We started to play it in a completely different way with a completely different timing," she says. "It came to us again, after being forced to re-work it. We're lucky that we do have the facilities to record," she says. "And Kieran is just one of those people who can disappear into music for several hours a day."

"I found it more difficult," she admitted. "I was more just anxious about what's going on, I suppose, and circling the children –making sure they had something meaningful to do. He was really able to focus. He's a bit of a machine when he has an idea to hone in on. It kind of saved him, in a way. Apart from the fact that he made beautiful things, it shut out the madness of the world."

Stream Maria Doyle Kennedy's Fire On The Roof Of Eden here.

Revisit our July 2020 interview with Maria Doyle Kennedy here.

Photos by Mischa Scherrer.